This invention relates to surgical stapling. More particularly, the present invention concerns surgical stapling instruments, surgical staples and suturing methods.
Recently surgeons have turned to the use of surgical staples (sometimes referred to as stable sutures), rather than conventional thread sutures, for closing of wounds or incisions in the skin or fascia of a patient. This is due in part because the use of surgical staples is a far easier procedure as compared to the employment of thread sutures. Of even greater importance, however, is a fact that the use of surgical staples is much faster than the use of thread sutures. Thus, the time required for suturing can be substantially reduced, thereby reducing the length of time the patient must be maintained under anesthesia.
Various types of surgical stapling instruments have been developed, examples of which are described in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 2,853,074; 3,144,654; 3,269,630; 3,601,302; 3,717,294; 3,780,416; 3,837,555; 3,873,016; 4,109,844; 4,122,989; 4,179,057; 4,185,762; and 4,296,881.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,043,504 and 4,127,227 describe cartridges for use in surgical staplers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,196 concerns an anvil attachment for a surgical stapling instrument.
Disposable skin staplers are sold by various companies such as Davis+Geck of Wayne, N.J. and Ethicon, Inc. of New Jersey.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,226 relates to a surgical clip for closing an incision. U.S. Pat. No. 2,817,339 is directed to a rigid fascial suture.
In order for incisions in the skin to heal properly, the torn edges of the skin must be upbutted edge to edge. Conventional skin staplers, however, tend to invert the skin. In other words, skin is bent down such that the edges do not abut. Healing therefore fails to take place. One aspect of the present invention is to alleviate this problem by everting the skin during suturing.
Conventional stapling instruments are cumbersome to use. Generally suturing skin with such devices requires at least two people. One person is required to hold the torn skin together by use of forceps, one forcep in each hand to hold each piece of skin. Another person is required to operate the stapling instrument.
The present invention allows for a two-hand stapling operation by the use of a guide which helps to keep the stapling instrument on the mid-line between the two pieces of torn skin. Conventional stapling instruments generally require the user, such as a surgeon, to proceed in a backward manner and to pull back on a stapling instrument to free the staple from the stapling device after insertion of a staple in the skin of a patient. The present invention allows for the operation of the surgical stapler in a forward manner without the need for any back-movement to free the inserted staple.